Eli Manning Earning His Next Giants Contract with Solid Play

While New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is the toast of the town these days, quarterback Eli Manning, the man who has been just as instrumental in making all of those amazing receptions and records happen for the rookie, has been quietly making a strong case for a contract extension. 

The 11-year veteran, who started this season by throwing four interceptions in his first two games (a cause of concern given his career-high 27 INTs in 2013), has been quietly playing some of his best ball these past few weeks.

The turning point for Manning appears to have been the Week 11 game against San Francisco. In it, he threw a season-high five interceptions.

Since then, Manning’s production has picked up.

	Att	Comp	Comp %	Yards	TDs	INT	Sacks	QB Rating
1st 10 games	366	224	61.2%	2,495	18	11	20	85.3
Last 5 games	182	127	69.7%	1,486	11	2	8	109.2

This week, Manning recorded his best performance of the season—yes, inside the pristine conditions of a domed stadium—against a stout Rams defense that hadn’t given up a touchdown in 12 quarters of play.

Manning, who turns 34 years old next month, completed 25 of 32 pass attempts (78.1 percent) for 391 yards and three touchdowns, throwing zero interceptions.

Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Manning’s completion percentage, yardage total and passer rating (148.8) were season highs.

The best news of all? In his last five games, his 69.7 completion percentage isn’t too far off from the 70 percent mark that quarterbacks coach Danny Langsdorf revealed to reporters to be the goal for this season.

What has been behind Manning’s improvement?

The first and most obvious answer is the West Coast offense installed by first-year offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo.

Before looking at the effect the new system has had on Manning, it needs to be noted that the West Coast offense requires the offensive line—still very much a work in progress—to protect its quarterback for a smaller amount of time because of the shorter passes emphasized by the system.

That change has helped. According to Football Outsiders, the Giants’ pass protection through Week 15 was ranked as the 14th best in the NFL, the line allowing sacks on just 5.1 percent of Manning’s passing attempts.

Simply put, Manning has a chance to make the throws if protected.

Another factor: the Beckham effect. As of Week 16, PFF notes that Manning had a passer rating of 128.5 on passes aimed at the rookie first-round draft pick.

Beckham, in fact, has been Manning’s most valuable asset. Per PFF, the rookie has caught 78 of Manning’s 108 pass attempts for 1,120 yards, 11 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

There is also Manning’s performance, the biggest factor in his improvement.

It hasn’t always been pretty. Manning himself had admitted to reporters earlier in the season that he was still getting used to the different footwork, the timing patterns, the new terminology and the other changes that come with a new offensive system. Somewhere along the line, things clicked for Manning.

Interestingly, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, in an article written earlier this month, questioned whether the new West Coast offense had truly rejuvenated Manning’s career.

"By almost every statistical measure, Eli is, well, Eli," Schwartz wrote. "His footwork and passing priorities have undergone a transformation, but his numbers have not. He has been reprogrammed, but it is almost as if he is impervious to reconstruction."

While Schwartz’s point is valid—the gunslinger nature in Manning is still alive and well, which is why he still is guilty of making ill-advised throws—the numbers, especially over the last five games, indicate that Manning might actually be effective after all—just 2.4 percent of his pass attempts have gone for turnovers.

Although the bottom line—the win-loss record—isn’t favorable, Manning’s first season in the West Coast offense has been a success, inspiring confidence in team ownership that he is indeed capable of leading the Giants offense for at least three or four more seasons.

Co-owner John Mara, who will ultimately sign off on a contract extension for Manning perhaps as soon as this offseason, told Tom Rock of Newsday that the team still has a lot of confidence in its offensive leader.

“We still think he's in his prime and still has a lot of good years left,” Mara said. “It lifts the whole franchise when you have a quarterback who can play at that level.”

Mara and the Giants are certainly counting on that continuing to be the case for the foreseeable future.

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football and The Sports Xchange. All postgame quotes via the St. Louis Rams public relations office unless otherwise sourced. Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.